Nachruf auf Dr. Ernst Christianson

Translation from German to American English by Alex Herzog,
Boulder, Colorado

A View of the Grave

Dr. Ernst Christian, a longtime and loyal friend and patron of
the Germans from Russia, former chairman of the Aussiedlerbeirat
[Advisory Council for Immigrants] for the City of Nuremberg, founder
and builder of the Haus der Heimat, is dead.

He was born in 1920 in Ulmbach in the Banat region [Romania]. At
19 years
of age, he had to go to war and to serve, among other places, in
the infamous
battle of destruction at the Seelow Heights on the Oder River. Following
a
brief time as a prisoner of war of the Americans, he exited wartime
uninjured,
studied at the University of Graz, there completed his doctorate
in physics
and then moved to Nuremberg, where he had a successful career in
research and
development for the Grundig company until his retirement.

During this timespan he produced more than twenty inventions in
applied
physics and technical installations. For them he was awarded the
Diesel Prize.

After entering well-deserved retirement, Ernst Christian dedicated
himself
completely to receiving and assimilating his countrymen who in the
1990s were
streaming in great numbers from Romania to central Franconia. As
if
predestined by fate, he increasingly involved himself in trying
to bring solutions to
the problems of acceptance and assimilation of his countrymen. He
regularly
arbitrated in these problem areas, provided consultation and individual
advice to Germans from Russia. Even after practically all Germans
from Romania
had arrived here, Dr. Christian continued his full efforts, on behalf
of
Germans from Russia.

In 1995, he established the Haus der Heimat in Nuremberg. He wanted
to
build a real home, and this goal was realized in 1999. Situated
in Langwasser,
the German immigrant sector of Nuremberg, the House continues to
be full of
life. Under its roof, returning German immigrants have finally found
a
spiritual and moral home.

Dr. Christian participated untiringly there in study groups on
topics of
history, literature and social concerns. His experiences and knowledge
have
greatly enriched this work. On November, 2004, he last sat in on
a plenary
meeting of the House. During 2004 he also gave his final major talks,
"Stalingrad an der Donau [Stalingrad on the Danube]" and
"Die Stunde Null und
Neuanfang
in Nuernberg von 1945 [Zero Hour and New Beginnings in Nuremberg
in 1945]."

Ever a person of curiosity and hunger for knowledge, Dr. Christian
worked
untiringly on his research up to his unexpected death on December
24, 2004. He
did not see his last manuscript published becasue it did not leave
the
printer until after Christmas. For his achievement, Dr. Ernst Christian
had been
awarded the Major Federal Order of Merit, a cross on a ribbon, just
before he
died, so he could no longer receive it in person.

Representatives of the "Historical Research Association of
Germans from
Russia" and the Nuremberg branch of the Landsmannschaft der
Deutschen aus
Russland expressed their condolences to the family and presented
two flower
arrangements during the day of the blessing of the grave site. One
of them carried
the inscription "With Love and Loyalty to the Home Country."

At the request of the Christian family, I, among others, had the
privilege
of expressing a few words of mourning, in which I thanked and honored
the
deceased in the name of our countrymen. More than 300 people attended
the
funeral, among them numerous Germans from Russia mourning for the
deceased because
a great helper and friend had passed from us.

Our appreciation is extended to Alex Herzog for translation
of this article.

Permission
to use any images from the GRHC website may be requested
by contacting Michael
M. Miller